Wake-Up Calls for Managers
For the hard parts no one prepares you for
When the path isn’t clear, the stakes are high, and the answers aren’t obvious—this is where managers struggle most.
Wake-Up Calls for Managers delivers practical, real-world guidance for navigating:
- Tough conversations
- Leading through uncertainty
- Building influence without authority
- Driving results through others
The Leadership Caffeine Blog
Tired of the drama storm? Effective managers write the rules of the road with their teams
Is there a drama storm on your team? In my informal survey of coaching clients, workplace drama is all too prevalent and distracting. Managers are tired of officiating the he said/she said/they didn't/I can't work with... issues that creep up in daily work. "It's...
Tired of the drama storm? Effective managers write the rules of the road with their teams
In my informal survey of coaching clients, workplace drama is all too prevalent and distracting. Managers are tired of officiating the he said/she said/they didn’t/I can’t work with… issues that creep up in daily work. They are looking for a solution—something that places responsibility where it belongs. I teach my managers to write the Rules of the Road with their team members to solve this problem.
High Performance Management—All Strategy Work is Personal
Most businesses and most management teams flail and fail when it comes to the work of strategy. In today’s world, where the long-cycle strategy process has been replaced by short-bursts of experimentation and iteration, it’s essential to reduce the fail and flail by attacking the root causes of so much dysfunction with this work. Here are 7-Steps to to help the senior team get it right:
New Leader Tuesday—You’ve Got to Get Your Hands Dirty
The best leaders quickly learn that the difficult messy tasks are the difference-makers. They seek training and coaching and they practice these tasks over and over again in pursuit of competence.
Leadership Caffeine™—Navigating Overload, Ambiguity and Conflict
Harvard Business School Professor, Linda Hill’s, description of context faced by everyone in a leadership role in this era: “overload, ambiguity and conflict” is spot on. It is a much more articulate labeling of what I describe as, “the leadership blender.” And it reflects the state of existence of a large percentage of leaders as they strive to do more with less, faster, and with more impact. You could not ask for three more challenging contextual sets of circumstances. Here are some thoughts in developing your “inner game of leading” to help you survive and thrive in this era of change:
The Next Act—Pivot to Focus on Your Superpower
In the dozens of discussions I’ve held with 50-somethings on this Next Act career topic, I can literally count on one hand the number of individuals who expressed satisfaction with their work. It seems that after several decades of hard work, people are growing tired of the corporate grind. The most common answer to, “What’s next?” has been, “retirement” and, “play more golf.” If chasing a little white ball around a lawn doesn’t do it for you, it’s time to focus on making the pivot from where you are at to something that leverages your superpower.
How Small-Company CEOs Can Build Management Teams that Work
One of the worst uses of the term, “team,” is in relationship to the group of executives who report to the CEO. For many of the (less than $200 million in annual revenue) firms I work with, there’s little beyond the “report to” issue that binds these groups together as a team. This is often frustrating to CEOs who expect more from their highest paid lieutenants. Here are 3 areas where these groups can and must coalesce as a team:
Art of Managing—Bad Boss? Are You Sure it’s Not You?
Just about everyone I’ve encountered recently—or so it seems—has an ax or two to grind with their boss. Have you ever stopped to consider whether it’s you and not your manager? Just in case it hasn’t occurred to you, perhaps a bit of mirror gazing is in order. If you see yourself on this list of, “The Boss’s Top Ten Challenging People,” it might be time for you to make some adjustments. Of course, first, you have to see yourself.
Thoughts on Navigating a Career Setback
Just about everyone I know has experienced a career setback at some point in time. Here are 7 ideas to help you begin navigating beyond this unfortunate event:
Starting Strong as a New Manager—10 Reminders
Tuesday at the Management Excellence blog is for anyone getting started (or starting over) on their leadership journey. Here are 10 reminders for the new manager:
10 Ideas to Help Deal with the Abusive Boss
Health Warning: there’s no easy method for dealing with an abusive boss. Sometimes, the next exit ramp is the best approach. And sometimes circumstances require you to stay and attempt to cope. Here are 10 ideas to consider when striving to cope with an abusive boss: